Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1887-02-18
A REMARKABLE DREAM.
NIGHT VISION THAT PREVENTED A
WRONG VERDICT.

A REMARKABLE UhEAM'
A NIGHT VISION THAT PREVENTED A
WRONG VERDICT.
Last summer Col. VIM. Preston john
stop. President OF Tulane University, OF
Louisiana, while on visit to Staunton
and during an evening spent at the resi-
dence of Mr.. Geo. M. Harrison became
| the possessor of the following remarkable
occurrence narrated to him by Mr.. Harrl.
son, and which had taken place in Mr.. Il. q
own practice. Since then, Col. Johnston
has communicated it to TIE Louisiana
journal of Education" from which we
l reprint it. The event which took place
about twelve years ago, is we'll remembered
! by those connected with it, but this is the
first time it was ever in print. For
fuller understanding by those OF our
readers unfamiliar with this part of
Virginia we may say that Mr.. Harrison
is one of the firm of Harrison q
Tucker and one of the most prominent
| lawyers in this section OF the
State. Mr.. W. his client, now dead, was
| the venerable John Wayt. man who
i stood wit bout blemish in this community
and whose word in any matter was suffl-
Gent to settle that matter in the minds OF
our people. The executor whose generous
| indulgence is mentioned is Mr.. Preston A.
| Baylor. a prominent member of the bar and
then the executor of Col. George Baylor.
and the Judge of the Circuit Court is
Judge William Mclaughlin. The story
which Col. Johnson heads IA Freak OF
Memory" is as follows:
"The present duty of the psychologist
| is to accumulate well authenticated data.
| Any fact which throws light on the actual
operations of the faculties has its place
and value. The short story now given of
the trial of lawsuit in Staunton, Va,
| illustrates a curious freak of memory.
| Mr.. 6 M. H.. highly esteemed lawyer
of that town, was retained by Mr.. W. to
defend suit brought against him by the
executor of Col. Geo. B., to revive a
Judgment. 1t seems that B. had brought
| suit against W. as surety of another PARTY
and obtained judgment nearly twenty
years before. After BIS death. his exec
utors found this Judgment among the
records of the court, and with no evidence
of it's having been paid. Mr.. W. assured
him that the debt had been paid, and that
B., if alive, would acquit him of it. Mr..
W. had been teller of the bank, and IN
good circumstance, but losses in the war
and other causes would now have made
this debt, with interests and costs,
amounting to 800 or $500 in all, an en-
barrasment to him. He was a venerable
man, an Elder in the Presbyterian church.
| and of unimpeachable integrity. His own
testimony could not be admitted as evil
dence of payment, however, and various
causes rendered 1T improbable whether he
could fad any other. His papers had been
raided, and scattered during the war, a
food had injured and destroyed others.
and lastly fire had swept away many OF
the remainder. On these grounds contin-
uan,ses were twice granted by the Court,
and once more by the indulgence OF b. =
executor, TO enable Mr.. W, to search for
and discover some evidence of payment
Delays having been exhausted, the case at
last came up for trial before judge Mel.
The attorney for the plaintiff stated his
case, and in reply Mr.. H., after narrating
the facts as hereinbefore given, and stat
ing how this matter had weighed upon
his clients mind, added this singular
narrative.
'sHe said that few days before, his
client had come to him and told him that
that morning he had dream in which
he saw in the vault of the old bank, where
he had served many years as teller. lying
on the shelf covered with dust an old
wallet that he recognized as bis. lie
seemed to awaken at this moment and in
great excitement went down TO the bank
before breakfast, and after much difficulty
succeeded in opening the old vault which
had been long disused. There were the
old bank books heaped up, in disarray and
covered with dust. Mr.. W. turned his
attention at once to the shelf of his dream
and there to his amazement he found
lying Just in the position his dream had
disclosed it, the long lost and forgotten
wallet covered with the dust OF many
years. He opened 1t, and found papers in
it, which he began to turn over. and the
third paper he laid his hand upon was this.
said Mr.. H., taking from his pocket what
proved to be the original execution on The
old judgment in favor of Col. B. against
Mr.. W.. on the back of which was state
ment of the debt, and the receipt OF Col.
B. in full at the bottom. And now said
Mr.. II. L hold here in my hand, that doc
ument, the evidence of the payment of
this debit By this time the bar and the
audience we're breathless with excitement.
Let me see it, exclaimed the Judge. who
was leaning forward, as he stretched forth
his hand. 1t was passed to him. 1t is
true,' he said, the debt is paid-Give
judg ment In favor Of the defendant
The good old defendant fairly broke
down before the congratulations of the bar
and bystanders, all of whom were not only
glad to see him relieved from the burden,
but so strangely justified in his bust ness
accuracy.
VIM. PRESTON JOHNSTON.
!. I
Rows Who Annnv tha Punils of the